Things have been pretty quiet since we've been back - we've slotted back into everyday life almost like we never left. Now, that's not necessarily a good thing and we still have the travel urge so we've been planning for the future. One thing that enabled our long trip as a family was work exchange… Continue reading Show Your Kids the World
Author: Tina Lavelle
From Zakynthos to Athens
A krasáki at Kolonáki We left Zakynthos the old-fashioned way: by ferry and bus to Athens. There's nothing like being on the water to make you feel like you're leaving or arriving on an island - coming by plane just can't compare. On a calm sea we slowly watched Zakynthos turn into a hazy blur on the horizon, a… Continue reading From Zakynthos to Athens
A little tour of the Alpilles
Our couchsurf near Salon-de-Provence was perfectly situated for day tours into the hill towns of Provence. Our first tour was to be of the Alpilles, a long limestone range full of olive trees, vineyards and medieval towns. We got off to a bit of a bumpy start, circumnavigating Salon a couple of times before finding the correct road. … Continue reading A little tour of the Alpilles
A couchsurf in Provence
We picked up a car near the Nîmes train station and headed for our next destination - a Couchsurf near Salon-de-Provence. But as we had a bit of time to kill we decided to do a little side trip along the way. Referring to our guidebook we found a detour to the town of Miramas-le-Vieux. … Continue reading A couchsurf in Provence
Farewell to Clifden
On a cold February evening in 1999 I met my future husband in a pub on Main Street, Clifden. By the end of the year I'd moved to that little market town on the Atlantic, where I spent the next four years before moving back to Australia. As little towns in Ireland go, Clifden's not bad. Being a… Continue reading Farewell to Clifden
Ireland’s Heritage
One of the best things we did when we first arrived in Ireland was purchase a one year family pass from Heritage Ireland. For €60 we got a year's worth of monuments, castles and manor houses. We purchased it on our visit to Tintern Abbey and Colclough Walled Gardens last September down in Wexford. Since… Continue reading Ireland’s Heritage
Mid-winter in Dublin
The holiday season is well and truly over and we've all settled back into our Dublin routines: the boys in school, myself in college and Ralph working in town. We're still on a bit of a high after our wonderful tour around Portugal and Spain over New Year's. If you're not from Australia or New… Continue reading Mid-winter in Dublin
Glendalough
We've been keeping pretty quiet lately since our last weekend away in Kerry. After school/work/study during the week it's tempting to just relax on the weekends. We've settled into a routine of strolling down to Dalkey village for coffee and a visit to the library on Saturdays and then spending the afternoon reading the papers… Continue reading Glendalough
Family trip to Berlin
After leaving Zakynthos we flew to Berlin via Athens. Not the quickest way to go but the cheapest option we found at the time. We flew with Aegean Airlines who were surprisingly good with 23kg of luggage and meal included. We'd chosen to stay in a small pension-hotel in Charlottenburg- Wilmersdorf because of its excellent… Continue reading Family trip to Berlin
Back in Dublin Town
Well, after being on the road for the last three weeks we are now settling into our new home in Dublin. The plan is to stay here for a school year while the kids attend school and Ralph finds a job. Ideally I'd like a job too but the librarian job market here is almost… Continue reading Back in Dublin Town
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